


if you have friends, you have family

by icantcountthereasonsishouldstay



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, fatherfigure!pierce, i wish we had seen annies reactions to family day so i wrote it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 05:52:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11052663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icantcountthereasonsishouldstay/pseuds/icantcountthereasonsishouldstay
Summary: Annie thinks about her lack of family at Family Day during the dance. She receives comfort from the last person she'd expect.





	if you have friends, you have family

**Author's Note:**

> I was really annoyed that we didn't get to see any of Annie reacting to the fact that she didn't have anyone there for her for Family Day, and that really annoyed me. Also, I wrote this at 3 AM, and it's un-beta'd.

Annie knew that going to the Family Day Dance was a bad idea, but she wanted to see how it turned out. She had helped the Dean set it up, after all. It had been a nice distraction from Family Day. Seeing everyone with their family, especially families that were supportive, had been really hard for her. She considered staying home, but nothing was worth missing a day of classes, so she braved the storm of seeing happy, supportive families. She should have known going to the dance would be too much. Seeing everyone’s families, all together, laughing, dancing, hurt her more than she thought it would. Before any of her friends could see her, she slipped out and went to the study room. She was barely through the doors before she burst into tears. She hadn’t told anyone, but she had reached out to her dad and brother about coming. They never responded, and even though Annie wasn’t surprised, it still stung. Not that it mattered because her mother wouldn’t allow it anyway. And now, she was all alone, like usual. Even her new family had abandoned her. Actually, they weren’t her family. She wasn’t even sure if her friends legitimately liked her or cared about her. After all, no one had even bothered to ask how she was doing. They all knew about her relationship with her family, but they were too absorbed with their own business to care. Jeff and Pierce only cared about Pierce’s hot step daughter, Troy and Britta only cared about proving a point to each other, and Shirley and Abed only cared about getting Abed’s cousin into the bouncy castle. No one cared about her, not her family, not her friends, no one. Annie glanced at the empty seats around her. Would they come comfort her if they knew she was here? Would they treat her like she was overreacting? Would they feel guilty for abandoning her and being self-absorbed? Thinking about the answers to those questions only made her cry harder. As she was deciding if she should just leave and go home or get it together and join her friends, Pierce walked in. Annie stood in shock and turned away from Pierce, in an attempt to hide her tears.

“Oh, hey Pierce. I thought I left something in here.”

As she knelt under the table to pretend to look for something, Pierce approached her.

“You can cut the crap, Annie. I saw you leave the dance. I may not be the most observant of the group, but even I could tell you were upset. Now, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Pierce. What are you even doing in here?”

“I thought I hid some booze in here, but I can’t remember where. I’m actually not sure if it was even this room, but might as well start looking here.”

“Is the dance really that bad?”

“Nah, just dealing with emotional crap like men.”

“Ah.”

“Wait a second, you never answered my question! You tried to trick me! Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s just...everyone knows I don’t have family. They abandoned me when I decided to go to rehab. It feels like no one considered or cared about the fact that Family Day might be hard for me. Everyone got so wrapped up in other things, and I felt pushed to the side. I was able to distract myself, but still. Today sucked. And seeing everyone’s family at the dance...I don’t know. Everyone’s families thought they were worth showing up for. Mine didn’t. Even the Human Being had someone! I didn’t tell anyone, but I asked my brother and dad to show up. They didn’t even respond.”

“Your family’s full of idiots.”

“What do you mean?”

“Annie, you’re smart, kind, and you’re going to be incredibly successful. It’s their loss. Hell, I wish you were my stepdaughter instead of Amber. You would make me so proud to be your stepdad.”

Annie stared at him in shocked silence. She had never heard Pierce be this sincere or serious before. In some weird way, it’s like he was the dad she wished she had, but he still wasn’t her real dad.

“My real family still abandoned me.”

“Real, schmeal. As a good friend recently told me: If you have friends, you have family. They may have forgotten you today, but they care.”

“Thanks, Pierce.”

“Now, let’s find this booze and get back to the dance. I saw some hot moms eyeing me.”

And suddenly, sincere Pierce was gone, and he was back to his old self. Annie smacked him on the arm.

“Pierce!”

“What? They were! And if Jeff can get action on Family Day, then why can’t I?”

Annie snorted in disgust as Pierce glanced around the room and found what he was looking for on the shelf.

“Ha! Found it! Now, let’s take this dance to a new level. You coming?”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

As they walked out, Annie thought about what Pierce had said. _If you have friends, you have family_. Those words echoed in her head. Maybe it wasn’t the family she had expected to have, but it was definitely one she wouldn’t give up for the world.


End file.
